(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to toys, games, and arts and crafts, and more specifically, to non-toxic, light weight, water soluble articles forming construction materials for use in toys, games and arts and crafts projects.
(2) Prior Art
In the materials commonly used for toys, games, and arts and crafts projects, several disadvantages exist in that the materials are normally either messy, difficult to use or dangerous to the children who play with them. For example, toy building blocks are quite popular with children who like to create structures of varying shapes and sizes. However, conventional building blocks are sometimes difficult for younger children to use in fabricating structures because they are held together by simple frictional fittings between the blocks which easily come apart. If the child is not careful, he may accidentally bump into the structure and cause it to fall apart with just a little force. Also, these types of building blocks are normally manufactured as small, hard objects which are often harmful to children when, for instance, they are swallowed or thrown at other children.
Additionally, other conventional building blocks have been designed such that the blocks are joined together by means of an adhesive material (i.e., mortar, glue, tape, etc.) placed between the blocks to hold them together. The disadvantages in using these types of blocks, however, is that the adhesive material 1) hardens to a point where the blocks cannot later be separated, 2) may be harmful or toxic if ingested and 3) is potentially quite messy and damaging to other things in the environment if proper supervision in the use of the adhesive is not undertaken.
Similarly, with arts and crafts materials such as modeling clays, paper mache, paints, crayons and markers, these types of materials often suffer from the disadvantages of being toxic, messy, difficult to dry and non-reusable. For example, certain kinds of modeling clays and paints are toxic, while they can also be very messy and difficult to remove from floor carpeting, wall paper, furniture fabrics and clothing. Furthermore, most arts and crafts projects require a significant amount of skill to actually construct the project and quite a bit of time in waiting for the adhesive to dry or bond, thereby taking the fun out of instant creation.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide child-safe articles for use in toys, games, arts and crafts projects and the like which comprise a light-weight, non-toxic material that enables the no-mess joining of articles together in the fabrication of structures, the creation of arts and crafts projects and the playing of games.
Starch based biodegradable materials of a consistency and density similar to packing material have been described in the prior art, such as, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,186,990; 5,185,382 and 5,208,267.